Leslie Everton Brice - For the Journal-Constitution
Thursday, July 20, 2006

For 34 years, Sound Sensations in Marietta has been the place to go for extreme car audio systems. Celebrities including Elton John, Travis Tritt, Michael Vick and Little John have come to Sound Sensations when they wanted the ultimate in quality for their cars.

In fact, Elton John's 11 autos have been tricked out here.The company is always moving forward. Owner and founder Ralph Vickers and his sons Marc Vickers and Kelley Vickers have now moved into the world of home theater as well. And you can't help but believe Sound Sensations will quickly become a household word for home theater systems.

Marc Vickers said the shop is undergoing a complete renovation to allow extra showroom space for home theater."We're converting three rooms in the front [of the store]," said Vickers. "We already sell home theater [equipment]. But when the rooms are done, that's when we'll really make the push."Vickers said the renovations should be completed in about three months.

Sound Sensations started out as a wholesaler of sound equipment back in 1957. Retail sales began 34 years ago."I've been working here since I was a day out of high school," Marc Vickers said. "Kelley's worked here since he's been out of college. This is a real family business."The company still maintains a very healthy wholesale business, as well as retail.

"We've got more product at our fingertips than a Best Buy store," Marc Vickers said. "We're like a Sam's Club for the industry --- for the small electronics businesses."Sound Sensations specializes in sales and installation of everything from car audio and video to alarm systems, navigation, neon lighting, cameras and satellite radio.Have you ever seen the MTV show "Pimp My Ride?" Take a look at the Hummer H2 in the store's front parking lot for comparison.Sound Sensations employs its own team of installers, for both car and home systems.

"It's a natural progression, moving from installing car systems to home theater. After a while, guys may get tired of crawling around inside of cars, so they go on to home [installation]," Marc Vickers said.Over the years, Sound Sensations has garnered much recognition from customers and the industry.

Most recently, Mobile Electronics, a national magazine for the industry, named the company among the top 50 retailers in the nation for 2005-06."We're very proud of that," said Marc Vickers.

"The award isn't just for selling. It's for professionalism, community involvement and customer service."Customer service is what truly separates Sound Sensations from other sellers of sound systems and home theater, Vickers said."If we install a system, we follow up on it for two or three months after the sale," he said."We take care of our customers, and we've got that personal touch."And that means people come back again and again, he said."We've got guys that came here with their first car; now they're coming back with their kids, with their first cars."